The Team
We are COMON Network. Here are the people who bring the Network to you.
Donny Chedrick
Podcast Co-Host, Writer
High School: Greensburg-Salem HS (Greensburg, PA) – 2014
College: Waynesburg Univ. (Communications – Sports Broadcasting/Info) – 2018
Donny was a COMON Network original, co-hosting the first podcast episode along with Joe Smeltzer and Jack Hillgrove. Along with the podcast duties, Donny is also a writer for the COMON Network blog. At just 24, he has some professional broadcasting experience under his belt. Donny was the Play-by-Play voice of the West Virginia Black Bears (short-season single A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates) for two seasons, he is entering his third season as the Color Commentator for Saint Vincent College football and this winter will be his third covering Presidents’ Athletic Conference basketball on the PAC Sports Network. Donny has also covered high school athletics – previously in West Virginia and currently set to begin his fourth year with the TribLive High School Sports Network, covering various high school sports around Western Pennsylvania.
Email me: donched95@gmail.com
Twitter: @DonChed54
Kyle Dawson
Podcast Co-Host, Writer, Content Editor
High School: Plum Senior HS (Plum Borough, PA) – 2013
College: Waynesburg Univ. (Communications – Sports Broadcasting/Information w/ Journalism minor) – 2017
Kyle began work with the COMON Network Podcast during the second episode and has been with the team since. He serves as a co-host on the pod and a writer and editor for the COMON Network blog. Kyle currently works as the play-by-play broadcaster for the Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League as well as for the TribLIVE High School Sports Network in Western PA. During his time at Waynesburg University, Kyle served in a variety of leadership and media entity roles for the Waynesburg University Sports Network, campus TV station, WCTV, radio station, WCYJ-FM and newspaper, The Yellow Jacket, among more. At the end of the 2019 Frontier League season, Kyle was named the Robert Ford Award winner as the Frontier League’s Broadcaster of the Year.
Email me: dawsonkyle13@gmail.com
Twitter: @RealKyleDawson
Jack Hillgrove
Podcast Co-Host, Writer
High School: Baldwin HS (Pittsburgh, PA) – 2017
College: Waynesburg Univ. (Communications – Sports Broadcasting/Information) – 2021
Another COMON Network original, Jack is a senior at Waynesburg University. Even though he is currently a college student, Jack has had a ton of broadcasting experience. He is a play-by-play broadcaster with the TribLive High School Sports Network, and a producer at 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh. Jack is also a former broadcast intern with the Washington Wild Things, and was the voice of the AAB Collegiate Baseball League in Pittsburgh in the summer of 2020. As a student at Waynesburg, Jack serves as the Sports Director of the campus radio station, WCYJ, a producer at the campus TV station, WCTV, Student Director of Broadcasting for GreeneSports.net, and the Executive Producer of the Waynesburg University Sports Network. Since he was eight, Jack has served as a spotter for the Pitt Football Radio Network, sitting next to his grandfather Bill, the voice of the Panthers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Email me: jwhillgrove@gmail.com
Twitter: @JackHillgrove
Joe Smeltzer
Podcast Co-Host, Writer, Content Editor
High School: West Allegheny HS (Imperial, PA
College: Waynesburg Univ. (Communications – Journalism) – 2020
Joe has been involved with the COMON Network podcast since its first episode. In addition to his work in co-hosting the podcast, he also writes an edits for the COMON Network blog. Aside from the network, Joe is a contributor for websites such as Yardbarker, and has also worked with the Observer-Reporter, located in Washington, PA, as both an intern and a stringer. While getting his undergraduate degree at Waynesburg University, Joe was the Sports Web Editor for the campus newspaper, The Yellow Jacket, and served as president of the school’s Society of Professional Journalists chapter.
Email me: sme0888@student.waynesburg.edu
Twitter: @joesmeltzer775
Austin Shaw
Website Co-Manager, Writer, Twitch
High School: Greensburg-Salem HS (Greensburg, PA) – 2015
College: Seton Hill Univ. (English, Creative Writing/Sec. Edu) – 2020 (Dec.)
Austin was a big piece in bringing the COMON Network website and blog into existence and will occasionally appear on the COMON Network Podcast. At Seton Hill, Austin is an English Major with a focus on creative writing. He was layout editor of his school newspaper in high school and a staff writer for the Setonian, the school newspaper at Seton Hill University. During his time at Seton Hill he also wrestled. In 2019 he was a Super Region One Runner Up and a National Qualifier. Austin now plans on teaching English and coaching wrestling after he graduates in December.
Email me: shawx10@gmail.com
Twitter: @shawx10
Ryan Simpson
Website Co-Manager, Writer
High School: Greensburg-Salem HS (Greensburg, PA) – 2015
College: Penn State Univ. (Statistics Major, Sociology Minor) – 2020
Ryan joined the team to help create and bring into creation the website and blog and will consistently write for the blog. He will also appear occasionally on the podcast. He currently works for Diamond Kinetics as a customer experience representative. Simpson was the Greensburg Salem swim team scorekeeper for three years as well as a student baseball coach his senior year. He spent a summer working for the Washington Wild Things as a media relations/scorekeeping intern under Kyle Dawson. While at Penn State University, Ryan was involved with the club hockey team at the PSU Altoona campus as a team manager, became a podcaster and wrestling beat writer for Penn State’s student run communications department and served as a data analyst for the baseball team.
Email me: ras9996@gmail.com
Twitter: @RyanSimpson20
Chace Johnston
Twitch, Writer
High School: Mapletown Junior-Senior HS (Mapletown, PA) – 2016
College: Waynesburg Univ. (Athletic Communications, Public Relations Minor) – 2020
Chace joined the team when the network expanded its content to video-game streaming, Over the last few months he has become an avid streamer, streaming games such as NCAA Football 14, Call of Duty, Fortnite, and most of the Grand Theft Auto series. He also will be writing for the network, primarily about the NBA and College Football. He currently works as the Assistant Athletic Director at Washington High School, where he is also the Offensive & Defensive Line coach with the varsity football team. Johnston was a Sports Information Assistant as well as the Promotions Director for WCYJ-FM during his junior and senior years at Waynesburg University. He also spent a summer as the advertising/promotions director for PONY Baseball/Softball during the 2018 PONY League World Series. This summer he is a scorer and scoreboard op for the Washington Wild Things under Kyle Dawson. At Waynesburg, Chace was a member of the campus TV station, radio station, Public Relations Student Society of America chapter and the Yellow Jacket Newspaper. He was also the main statistician for the baseball and softball teams during his junior and senior years. Chace will be returning to Waynesburg in the fall of 2020 to pursue an MBA.
Email me: chace.johnston@outlook.com
Twitter: @CoachJohnston_
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